Fastening device



1938- G. A. TIINNERMAN 2,140,064

FASTENING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1957 INVENTOR. BY 6 5024% 77/YN7?/7F7/Y ORNEYS Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES FASTENING DEVICE George A. Tinnerman, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to Albert H. Tinnerman, Cleveland, Ohio Application October 4, 1937, Serial No. 167,'307

3 Claims.

This invention relates to fasteners, and particularly those which are adapted to be used in conjunction with a bolt for holding two or more articles together.

Fasteners of this type have been designed to engageonly one helix of a bolt thread for the purpose of effecting an assembly. I have found, however, that a single thread engaging fastener,

especially where the fastener is used to hold Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a fastener embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the fastener, and Fig. 3 is a section taken through two articles that are held together by a bolt and a fastener, which embodies my invention; Fig. 4 is a section taken through two parts that are held together by a bolt and by a fastener, which comprises a modification of my invention.

Ordinarily a threadless fastener is adapted to engage only one turn of the bolt thread. My invention, however, embodies a fastener which engages more than one turn and accomplishes the fastening operation without threading the fastener. In Fig. l, for example, the fastener is illustrated as comprising a strip of sheet metal having a body, which is bent intermediately at ID to make arms H and I2. Each arm is preferably arched and each is provided with bolt thread engaging portions that are formed from the body and extend out of the plane thereof. In the form illustrated, the thread engaging portions preferably comprise tongues IS on the arm II and tongues It on the arm l2 which project upwardly and which. have anaperture therebetween throughwhich the shank of a threaded member may extend. The arms are spaced sufficiently far apart that the thread engaging portions on the arm ll engage one turn of a bolt thread while those on the arm 12 engage a different turn of the bolt thread. The relationship of the thread engaging portions to the thread is best illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein a bolt I5 is shown as extending through apertures l6 and II in parts l8 and I9, and also through the thread engaging portions l3 and ll of the fastener. In this illustration, the ends of the arm H rest upon the part l9, wherefore both arms are moved toward the part upon tightening of the bolt.

By utilizing two yieldable arms which engage different turns of a bolt thread and by making the fastener out of the material which has a thickness less than the pitch distance of the bolt thread, I have obtained a fastener construction which has suilicient strength to withstand the extreme limit to which a bolt can be tightened. The fact is that this construction will withstand sufficient force to shear the thread of the bolt without damaging the fastener. This advantage isof major importance in production work rticularly in automotive assembly work where power-screw drivers are utilized for tightening bolts.

In a modification of Fig. 4, the fastener has substantially the same U-shaped arrangement of arms that correspond to those designated at H and I2, and each arm has thread engaging means formed therefrom, which may be the'same as those illustrated in connection with fasteners shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. In the modifica- REISSUED APR 8- 1941 tion, the arm H has an extension 20 that is bent downwardly and inwardly to provide a clip which may frictionally engage one of the parts IQ for holding the fastener in self-sustaining bolt receiving position. This extension is shown as hav-, ing an aperture 2| in registration with the bolt receiving openings l6 and I1 and also in registration with bolt receiving apertures which are defined by the thread engaging portions l3 and M respectively. Thus, the extension cooperates with the arms to makea substantially S-shaped fastener which not only possesses the strength of the fastener first described but possesses the added-advantage of being able to engage a part frictionally and to remain therein in bolt receiving position.

To limit the movement of the upper arm with reference to the lower one, I may provide a downturned fiange 25 on the end of the upper arm which when it engages the lower arm makes a satisfactory arrangement for holding the arms in' proper spacing relationship for enabling the thread to be satisfactorily engaged.

While I have illustrated the thread engaging portions of the fastener, as comprising flexible tongues, I may if desired, utilize other forms but, in each case, it is to be understood that the thread engaging parts at their margins are shaped to conform to the helix of the thread with which they are intended to be used.

I claimz- 11. A fastener comprising a, one-piece sheet without engaging the threads thereof, and the other arms having portions formed therefrom for engaging diflerentturns of the bolt thread,

said last named arms extending in the same general direction and being adapted to be moved toward the third arm during the bolt tightening operation. 1

2. A fastener comprising a single strip of sheet 1 bolt receiving aperture, and eacharm having a thread engaging portion oifset therefrom, the

arms being spaced apart more than the pitch distance of the thread on a bolt with which the fastener is intended to be used, and-means on one of the arms for limiting its movement toward,

the other arm.'-

'3., A fastener comprising-La one-" piec'i' sheet a metal strip, .the thickness of which is less "than the pitch distant: or. the thread on a bolt with which ithe} is "intended a be .used, said f strip two arms that are connected totongue for engaging the lower arm and limiting movement of the. upper farm toward the lower one, each thread engaging portions ,oifset therefrom and extending upwardly therefrom; salt!- portions being in. registration to provide a coutinuouspassage for a bolt therebej -GEORGE A. TINNERMAN,

. are disposed in superimposed spaced relationship, 

